ASR Restore With No Floppy

Windows Server Hacks

http://www.aspfree.com/c/a/ASP/Windows-Server-Hacks-12-77-and-98/2/

During the ASR backup process, you’re asked to insert a blank, formatted floppy to
create a system recovery disk (commonly called an ASR floppy). This floppy is critical to
the ASR restore process, so it’s worth digging a little deeper into how it’s used. The ASR
backup process saves two files onto your floppy: the ASR state file ( asr.sif), which
contains information about the disk signatures and configuration of disk volumes on your
machine, and asrpnp.sif, which contains information about different Plug and Play
devices on your system. These two files are critical for the recovery of your system,
because they connect the underlying hardware configuration with the operating system
above it. As we’ll see in a moment, you need to insert this floppy at the beginning of the
ASR restore, in order to rebuild the disk subsystem and hardware configuration of your
system before restoring the contents of the system and boot volumes.

What if you have no floppy disk drive on your machine? Fortunately, you can still use
ASR to back up your system, but its a bit of a workaround. During the ASR backup
process copies of these asr.sif and asrpnp.sif files are also saved in the %SystemRoot
%\Repair folder on your server. So, when you receive a prompt at the end of the backup
process to insert a floppy, simply ignore the prompt and instead copy asr.sif and
asrpnp.sif from Repair to a network share on another server (one that has a floppy disk
drive installed). Then, copy the files from the share on that server to a blank floppy you
insert into its drive, and you now have a working ASR floppy for your backup. Then, go
buy a USB external floppy drive, because you’ll need it if you ever have to rebuild your
original server from the backup set you created. In other words, you can perform ASR
backup without a floppy, but you cannot perform an ASR restore without one.

What if you lose your ASR floppy? Well, the procedure just described will work in this
case too. Just insert a new blank, formatted floppy into your server and copy asr.sif and
asrpnp.sif from the Repair directory to the floppy. Note that these files must be located in
the root folder on the floppy for the restore process to work, so use a separate floppy for
each ASR backup; don’t try to combine several ASR backups in different folders on one
floppy.

However, since the Repair directory is located on the boot volume of the system itself, if
your system volume is toast, then so is your Repair directory and the files within it. So,
what if you’ve lost your ASR floppy and the Repair directory is gone with your hard
drive? There’s still a workaround that can save your bacon: use the Backup utility on a
different machine to open the backup catalog for the ASR backup set you want to restore,
expand the %SystemRoot%\Repair directory on the boot volume, select asr.sif and
asrpnp.sif as the files you want to restore, insert a blank floppy, and restore these two
files to the root of the floppy. Presto! You now have a recovered ASR floppy you can use
to initiate a restore.
How To Re-Create a Missing Automated
System Recovery Floppy Disk in
Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/299526

Article ID : 299526
Last Review : January 15, 2006
Revision : 1.6
This article was previously published under Q299526

On This Page

SUMMARY
Create an ASR Floppy Disk

SUMMARY
This article describes how to create an Automated System Recovery (ASR) floppy
disk from the media that stores the ASR backup. During an ASR backup operation, a
copy of the Asr.sif and Asrpnp.sif files are backed up to the backup media. In the event
that the ASR floppy disk is not available, both the Asr.sif and Asrpnp.sif files can be
extracted from the ASR backup set, and then transferred to a floppy disk to be used for an
ASR operation.

Back to the top

Create an ASR Floppy Disk

The following steps can create an ASR floppy disk from an ASR backup operation:
Format a 1.44 megabyte (MB) floppy disk and insert the disk into the floppy disk
1.
drive of the computer.
In System Tools, start the Backup program. When the Backup and Restore Wizard is
2.
displayed, click Next.
3. Click Restore Files and Settings, and then click Next.
In the What to Restore dialog box, select the media that contains the ASR backup.
4.
Ensure that the media is inserted.
Expand the Automated System Recovery Backup Set that corresponds to the ASR
5.
floppy disk that you want to create.
Expand the second instance of the drive letter that contains the system files. Expand
6.
the Windows_folder/Repair folder.
Click the following files from this repair folder: Asr.sif and Asrpnp.sif, and then
7.
click Next.
8. At the Completing Backup or Restore Wizard screen, click Advanced.
9. At the Where to Restore screen, set the Restore Files to: dialog box to Single
Folder, and then set the Folder Name dialog box to the root of your floppy drive, for
 example, "A:\".
Click Next. The other options in this wizard are optional and do not affect the transfer
of files to the floppy disk. When the wizard is finished, the files are copied to the
location that you had previously specified. The ASR floppy disk is ready for use in the
10. event of an ASR restore operation.

NOTE: The Asr.sif and Asrpnp.sif files must reside on the root of the floppy disk
drive to be used during a ASR restore operation.

HOW TO: Re-Create a Missing

Automated System Recovery Floppy
Disk in Windows Server 2003
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/325854

Article ID : 325854
Last Review : October 30, 2006
Revision : 6.1
This article was previously published under Q325854

On This Page

SUMMARY
Create an ASR Floppy Disk
REFERENCES

SUMMARY
This article describes how to create an Automated System Recovery (ASR) floppy
disk from the media that stores the ASR backup in Windows Server 2003.

During an ASR backup operation, the Asr.sif and Asrpnp.sif files are copied to the
backup media. If the ASR floppy disk is not available, both the Asr.sif and Asrpnp.sif
files can be extracted from the ASR backup set and then transferred to a floppy disk to be
used for an ASR operation.

Back to the top

Create an ASR Floppy Disk

To create an ASR floppy disk from an ASR backup set:

1. Insert a blank, formatted floppy disk into your computer's floppy disk drive.
Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and
then click Backup.
2.
The Backup or Restore Wizard starts.
3. Click Advanced Mode.
4. On the Welcome tab, click Restore Wizard (Advanced). The Restore Wizard starts.
 Click Next.
On the What to Restore page, click to select the check box next to the media that
5.
contains the ASR backup.
Expand the ASR backup set that corresponds to the ASR floppy disk that you want to
6.
create.
Expand the second instance of the drive letter that contains the system files, expand
7.
Windows_Folder, and then expand the Repair folder.
In the right pane, click to select the check boxes next to Asr.sif and Asrpnp.sif, and
8.
then click Next.
9. On the Completing the Restore Wizard page, click Advanced.
On the Where to Restore page, click Single Folder in the Restore files to box, type
A:\ in the Folder name box, and then click Next.
10.
NOTE: The Asr.sif and Asrpnp.sif files must reside on the root of the floppy disk
drive for use in a ASR restore operation.
Follow the instructions on the remaining pages of the wizard. The restore options that
you can configure on the remaining pages of the wizard are optional and do not affect
the transfer of files to the floppy disk.
11.
When you click Finish on the last page of the wizard, the files are copied to the
location that you specified. The ASR floppy disk is ready for use in an ASR restore
operation.

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REFERENCES
For more information about ASR, see Windows Help. To do this, click Start, click
Help and Support, type automated system recovery in the Search box, and then press
ENTER to view the topics returned.